Livinia Nixon takes bright long-range outlook with her on new chapter

Nine’s long-time weather presenter Livinia Nixon will sign off this month, after 20 years in the role.

“I’ve been on air for more of my life than I’ve not,” she said, with a laugh, after the announcement on Friday afternoon. “I’m looking forward to a breather.”

Nixon, 50, will remain with Nine, continuing to appear on travel shows Getaway and Postcards. Nine is the owner of this masthead.

Nixon said she decided to bring her weeknight briefings to an end so she could spend more time with family – her youngest child, Ted, is about to start high school, joining older brother Henry.

It was not a decision she took lightly, she said, as being allowed into people’s lounge rooms each night was a privilege. “Presenting the weather has shaped my life and career. I owe this role everything but this is the right decision for me,” she said. “When I discussed it with our boys, they said ‘we’re pretty excited to spend more time with you, Mum’.”

One of her most memorable live crosses for the weather segment was filmed at Healesville Sanctuary, where she had a green tree python around her neck. The snake wrapped and squeezed, she said, and then tried to slither in her jacket: “I’d never read the weather as quickly in my life.”

In 1997, when she was 22, Nixon joined the Nine Network to appear on Hey Hey, It’s Saturday. She took over the role from Jo Beth Taylor on the live variety show hosted by Daryl Somers. Until 1994, the show’s co-host was the puppet Ossie Ostrich, the creation of Ernie Carroll.

Nixon’s schoolmates were shocked by her foray into television, she said, because she was so shy. As a child, she had appeared in a few TV ads, and a neighbour worked at casting agency Artist Services, so she decided to try her luck. Australian entertainers Steve Vizard and Glenn Robbins helped her along the way and she expressed gratitude to them and the on- and off-air team at Nine.

As well as her roles on 9News, Getaway, Postcards and Hey Hey, Nixon has worked on Temptation, Today, Weekend Today, Carols by Candlelight, Things to Try Before You Die and Plucka’s Place.

Her last night presenting the weather will be November 18. Her replacement has not yet been announced.

Nine’s national news director, Hugh Nailon, described Nixon’s contribution to the Melbourne newsroom as immeasurable. “She has been a shining star on 9News for two decades, delivering Melbourne’s weather with warmth, expertise and unmatched professionalism,” he said.

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